Why choose the Hemiwedge® Cartridge Valve for your Production application?  Here’s a perfect example:  

Situation:  A Houston area operator needed to select shutoff valves to and from underground brine storage wells.  Underground storage caverns require the most stringent operating procedures and best technology available to help assure public safety. These caverns are huge dome-shaped salt formations 1000 feet or more beneath the surface used for gas storage and are carefully managed to safety standards and practices adopted by the Texas Railroad Commission to protect the public and the environment.  The shutoff valves used in this environment are one of the most important pieces of equipment required for reliable and safe operation.

Solution:  The customer installed two Hemiwedge® Cartridge Valves which are both gear operated.  One is a six inch full port ANSI 600 Class valve installed in the main brine line on the storage well. Brine is pumped into the well cavern to force the butane out of the cavern. When butane is pumped into the cavern, the brine is forced out. The installation also has a two inch full port ANSI 600 Class valve installed as a bypass to the six inch valve.

The two inch bypass valve may see a normal flow of 300 gallons per minute with a high initial velocity as the valve is opened. A unique aspect of the Hemiwedge® Cartridge valve operation permits slow opening to protect the valve internals from excessive wear due to the high velocity.

The Customer installed the two valves in February 2007. In July 2007, the cartridges were removed from the valves for inspection.  Upon removal of the cartridges, the internal cavities and seat surfaces were inspected. Both bodies were clean and free of debris.  New cartridges were installed. The entire process, to the surprise of the Operator’s supervisors, took less than 15 minutes with no special tools.

Features:

• Mechanically-loaded seal
• Broad range of elastomeric and non-elastomeric seat seals for suitability with various fluids
• No cavities to trap fluids
• No lubrication required
• All trim contained in one replaceable pre-tested cartridge
• Available in ANSI 150-900 Class materials
• Quarter-turn operation
• Trims to comply with either NACE MR0175:2002 or NACE MR0175:2003